Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

[Hellscream9999]

1. MP-36 cost approx 250 USD from most major relevant retailers.
2. MP-41 cost about the same, was about the same size, came with a comparatively appropriate amount of accessories.
3. MP-43 is going to 330 USD, and does come with fewer accessories than MP-36, but will be larger than MP-36 which justifies the price increase to most.
MP-44 will cost 450 USD, will be around the same size as MP-36 if not shorter, even if it does come a trailer, and will have as many of not more accessories than MP-36

Yeah, I view the bw mp's as their own section apart from the g1 scale figures. mp primal was $120, and bw megs is at least 3 times bigger in beast mode and comparatively larger in bot mode too, which means 2-3 times the mass and thus should be more expensive, I'm not defending the actual price, but he is quite huge; compared to mp op3 who will be approximately the same size as mp 10, yet is 3+ times the price as mp 10

I don't think I'll be hanging around here much longer, I'm just sad that TT seems to be driving the mp line into the ground by intentionally alienating/out-pricing a lot of the people that helped make it what it is

[Relic0037]

I hope this price increase doesn't mean every upcoming Masterpiece figure will continue to have a ridiculous price tag associated with it. I expect some of the cost of these figures to go up over time due to inflation, inclusion of more accessories, etc, but if MP Mirage is announced at an absurd price like $200, I just may have to rethink whether or not I continue collecting this line.

When I got into collecting Masterpieces a few years ago, I knew they were far from cheap. But typically they would rarely go over the $200 price point with many of the car Autobots costing $80, which I could work into my budget. If the starting price starts to edge towards the $200 mark that would probably price me out right now, which would be a shame, because I have most of the previously released figures I want other than Ratchet & maybe MP-09, & I would hate to have to tap out because Takara is just trying to test where the line is in the general fans' pocket books.

[Hellscream9999]

I hope this price increase doesn't mean every upcoming Masterpiece figure will continue to have a ridiculous price tag associated with it. I expect some the cost of these figures to go up over time due to inflation, inclusion of more accessories, etc, but if MP Mirage is announced at an absurd price like $200, I just may have to rethink whether or not I continue collecting this line.

When I got into collecting Masterpieces a few years ago, I knew they were far from cheap. But typically they would rarely go over the $200 price point with many of the car Autobots costing $80, which I could work into my budget. If the starting price starts to edge towards the $200 mark that would probably price me out right now, which would be a shame, because I have most of the previously released figures I want other than Ratchet & maybe MP-09, & I would hate to have to tap out because Takara is just trying to test where the line is in the general fans' pocket books.

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

[Relic0037]

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I think Sunstreaker was $120 from bbts, so if Hound is roughly that size & stays close to that price it's a good sign.

[Cobotron]

I hope this price increase doesn't mean every upcoming Masterpiece figure will continue to have a ridiculous price tag associated with it. I expect some the cost of these figures to go up over time due to inflation, inclusion of more accessories, etc, but if MP Mirage is announced at an absurd price like $200, I just may have to rethink whether or not I continue collecting this line.

When I got into collecting Masterpieces a few years ago, I knew they were far from cheap. But typically they would rarely go over the $200 price point with many of the car Autobots costing $80, which I could work into my budget. If the starting price starts to edge towards the $200 mark that would probably price me out right now, which would be a shame, because I have most of the previously released figures I want other than Ratchet & maybe MP-09, & I would hate to have to tap out because Takara is just trying to test where the line is in the general fans' pocket books.

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I took Sunstreaker's price, and Cordon's for that matter, to be a sign that all MPs would be increasing in price. Which is why I'm not surprised by 44's price tag. As outrageous as it is.

I guess I've never really weighed in on this subject, but I had no interest in this release in the first place. And now that there is this giant price tag, I'm definitely sticking too my initial thoughts that, MP-10 is the Prime for my MP collection.

Does anyone see the humor in redoing something that is labeled as a masterpiece?
There is only one Mona Lisa. Only one David. Only one Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

Now there are 3 Masterpiece Optimus Primes.

[william-james88]

Does anyone see the humor in redoing something that is labeled as a masterpiece?
There is only one Mona Lisa. Only one David. Only one Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

Now there are 3 Masterpiece Optimus Primes.

Thats at least less than the amount of Scream Paintings by Edvard Munch

[Relic0037]

I hope this price increase doesn't mean every upcoming Masterpiece figure will continue to have a ridiculous price tag associated with it. I expect some the cost of these figures to go up over time due to inflation, inclusion of more accessories, etc, but if MP Mirage is announced at an absurd price like $200, I just may have to rethink whether or not I continue collecting this line.

When I got into collecting Masterpieces a few years ago, I knew they were far from cheap. But typically they would rarely go over the $200 price point with many of the car Autobots costing $80, which I could work into my budget. If the starting price starts to edge towards the $200 mark that would probably price me out right now, which would be a shame, because I have most of the previously released figures I want other than Ratchet & maybe MP-09, & I would hate to have to tap out because Takara is just trying to test where the line is in the general fans' pocket books.

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I took Sunstreaker's price, and Cordon's for that matter, to be a sign that all MPs would be increasing in price. Which is why I'm not surprised by 44's price tag. As outrageous as it is.

I guess I've never really weighed in on this subject, but I had no interest in this release in the first place. And now that there is this giant price tag, I'm definitely sticking too my initial thoughts that, MP-10 is the Prime for my MP collection.

Does anyone see the humor in redoing something that is labeled as a masterpiece?
There is only one Mona Lisa. Only one David. Only one Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

Now there are 3 Masterpiece Optimus Primes.

I think there were a few reasons they redid Optimus:

1) They just updated Megaton, so a new Optimus is the perfect companion piece. Plus options such as the battle damage accessories are not a bad idea. I think the Starcream add ons are a bit much, but that's just my opinion.

2) He is one of the more popular characters & will sell. Some people will buy every Masterpiece. Some people will buy every Optimus figure. Some casual fans that may not buy many Masterpiece figures will pick him up. He is the most iconic character in the franchise, so he will sell better than a remake of Tracks or Sideswipe.

3) They like to make characters that provide for reuse of the mold, & as we saw with MP-10, they can probably reuse this one about 10 times as Nemesis, Toy Accurate, BAPE, Ultra Magnus, Sleep Mode, Cash Grab Mode...just by slapping on a fresh coat of paint. Unlike some other molds where they have to create a new head or redo some other parts, just repainting an Optimus will give you a new figure a lot of fans will buy.

Now those who don't already have MP-10 that like all the extra upgrades & aren't scared off by the price tag, hey I can't blame you for going after this shiny new Prime. But if you have an MP-10 already & you're happy with how he scales with MP-36 & don't want to sell a kidney to "Upgrade" your Optimus, I can't say I disagree with that decision either.

[chuckdawg1999]

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I think Sunstreaker was $120 from bbts, so if Hound is roughly that size & stays close to that price it's a good sign.

The thing with the car bots we need to remember is that there are licensing fees that factor into the cost. Which is why Sunstreaker was a little more expensive than say Hot Rod.

[Hellscream9999]

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I think Sunstreaker was $120 from bbts, so if Hound is roughly that size & stays close to that price it's a good sign.

The thing with the car bots we need to remember is that there are licensing fees that factor into the cost. Which is why Sunstreaker was a little more expensive than say Hot Rod.

That and the fact the designers seem to have a thing for over-complicating the designs through panel-forming; one of the designers seemed really proud that 'streaker took 10 hinged panels or something to form the feet - something they likely didn't need to do. It carried over into megs, dinobot and bw megs, though, I think they all warranted it; but now we see it here in prime, and I don't think he needs it, and I wouldn't be surprised if this ridiculous panel-forming carried over into hound too, despite being an obscenely simple design

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

^Yes, there's a lot of reinventing the wheel in some of the newer MPs (and one of the older ones). I think some of it was needed in Sunstreaker's case because of the twin goals of "cartoon proportions" and "turns into realistic and proportional Lamborghini Countach LP500S". It was also necessary on the Beast Wars MPs to accommodate the stretching and flattening of certain beast mode parts while using ABS instead of flexible material. But on this guy? No. I also think both MP-05 and MP-36 suffer from their complexity.

I think mp hound will be the real litmus test for the future of the line, he should theoretically be around car-bot price, but if he's higher than 'streaker (who was higher then all the car-bots), then I'd say this would mean things will continue like this

I think Sunstreaker was $120 from bbts, so if Hound is roughly that size & stays close to that price it's a good sign.

The thing with the car bots we need to remember is that there are licensing fees that factor into the cost. Which is why Sunstreaker was a little more expensive than say Hot Rod.

Okay, but he was also more pricy than Sideswipe et al, who were the same licensed car. Granted some of that is complexity but still.

[President-prime]

My apologies. I just think sometimes we need to consider that there are other variations of transformers collectors out there. How I see it, “masterpiece” means the end of it all, a figure that sculptures and creators put lots of labor of love in it. A figure that the creators are proud of making. MP-44 really does that for me. Besides, we haven’t even seen the finished product. Of course It will be much more expensive. People will pay for their “MASTERPIECE.” To me, MP -10 is not a masterpiece. MP Car robots are not masterpieces, no die-cast, no crome, no blah blah. For $80, it’s an expensive studio series transformers with license. Look at SS Black Out. You could call him standard masterpiece. So for me, if you want Optimus, find a way to buy it. Otherwise, Enjoy the pictures, the photos. I for sure will sell some of my standard mp to make $400 and will get this guy. I don’t have much room I’m my collection anymore, so the ones I don’t want, can go back on EBay to make extra money fir the figures I want. I’m not going to complain about prices. It’s like going to a MERCEDES dealer and “complains” about how expensive the cars are. If I really can’t justify the price, there’s always Studio Series, Generations.

Btw. Can and cannot justify pricing is based on perception.

[no-one]

It’s like going to a MERCEDES dealer and “complains” about how expensive the cars are.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying except this. To fairly compare Mercedes to the MP line we'd have to consider this scenario. A person has been buying Mercedes for years and they have cost them $60-80k. After a few years this person went to buy a new car, but now all Mercedes start at $500k. They've just been priced out of the brand.

Personally the new OP is way out of my budget, but then again so is Sunstreaker and Megatron. As shocking as the price is I have no complaints about it. The bottom line is that I just can't afford it. That's also why I drive a Toyota. However, I'm a good little capitalist and companies can charge what ever they want for their goods and services and I have to right to not buy them.

[noctorro]

Glad I opted out of Masterpiece bots in time.

Last one I got is I think Shockwave. Megatron's to fragile, I read a lot of bad stuff about MP36. And I don't want an over complex frail and expensive figure.

On topic. WUTTTT? almost 500 USD? That's insane! That's like the entire line of Power of the Primes, including Predaking. Are they crazy? 1 bot and it's not a city combiner with 4 pieces that become little dudes.

Anyway, this third Optimus doesn't look much like an improvement on MP10. Behind the shoulderjoint it looks empty. Making his torso look like a cardboard plate.

And he's a bit to stylized, Optimus is suppose to be chunky in the torso, I don't get that feel.

Anyway, HasTak is doing excellent since Combiner Wars and my Haleluja Optimus voyager sized is coming soon in the Siege line with the excellent Megatron. So I'm good.

[President-prime]

I agree @carrytheone. If Mercedes decides to up theor prices, I have nothing to say either. And it’s not about the being able to afford or. It. It’s more do I really want a Mercedes. I can wait to buy an older or used one, I can save up to buy one. For the most part it’s about want. BMP beast wars Megatron and dinotbots are great figures, way cheaper than this prime. But I can’t justify buying them but are willing to buy this prime. Again, I’m not saying snythkng about our wonderful fandom here. I love hearing you guys debate on a nightly basis. But sometimes I feel we start to gripe over ecerythkng and we start to forget it’s the toys we need to enjoy not the hype. Buy what you’re comfortable and enjoy them at close range or from a distance. Thank you

[Emerje]

Well then just go get MP-01. Out of scale and can't bend at the waist, but it has all that you asked for and no more. Or you could get MP-10 (and, I don't know, pawn or donate the trailer. Or keep office supplies in it) - better articulated and in scale. Either way you save yourself the pain of buying this junker.

I already have two MP-1s (Hasbro's versions) and MP-10 and 10B, but that doesn't make me want this any less and I'll be happy to have all three versions standing together on the shelves. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want MP-44 to be cheaper. I have around 9 months to save so the price isn't a deal breaker, it's more annoying than anything.

MP-10 never got a trailerless release in the regular colors because as far as the cartoon goes the trailer was a fundamental part of Optimus! He almost never drove without it! Omitting a proper trailer was something MP-01 got a lot of flack for.

He was also rare shown in robot mode with it and guess which mode I'll be displaying Optimus in? For the price they really should have come up with an alternative. Even the super expensive non-transforming Optimus Prime from Hot Toys came at two price points (with and without Starscream armor). If they can do it then so can Takara Tomy.

It does still annoy me that only his bot mod is cartoon accurate while his alt mode isn't for the price.

They are being nice giving us some breathing room between MP-43 and MP-44, though I guess Hound, who looked further along than Prime, will be out in the Fall. He'll probably come with a cage for Ravage, a hologram effect piece, some hologram riders and a 10" non-transforming Megatron hologram to really up the price.

Emerje

[no-one]

They are being nice giving us some breathing room between MP-43 and MP-44, though I guess Hound, who looked further along than Prime, will be out in the Fall. He'll probably come with a cage for Ravage, a hologram effect piece, some hologram riders and a 10" non-transforming Megatron hologram to really up the price.

Emerje

Nailed it

[Relic0037]

^Yes, there's a lot of reinventing the wheel in some of the newer MPs (and one of the older ones). I think some of it was needed in Sunstreaker's case because of the twin goals of "cartoon proportions" and "turns into realistic and proportional Lamborghini Countach LP500S". It was also necessary on the Beast Wars MPs to accommodate the stretching and flattening of certain beast mode parts while using ABS instead of flexible material. But on this guy? No. I also think both MP-05 and MP-36 suffer from their complexity

MP-05 suffers from being a total piece of , probably the worst thing to come out of the line. But I do agree the designers sometimes get carried away making Masterpieces overly complex when it isn't always necessary.

[Ironhidensh]

Official colored pictures.

[william-james88]

There has been a lot of talk recently concerning Transformers Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime Ver 3 and its 50,000 Yen MSRP (which basically means about $350 USD from Japanese retailers when all is said and done). Is it worth it, is it not, when is too much too much, and most importantly can this toy live up to that? Well we are one step closer to finding out today since we finally have some colour images. These were found on BBTS (who is currently no longer taking preorders).
In these we see all the accessories Optimus comes with, which does not seem as exorbitant when compared to what MP10 came with (and still seems less in number than what Ironhide came with). As expected, the Starscream accessories are just the shoulder pylons and not actual wings. We see the trailer and it does not seem to have more functionality than the one that came with MP-10. It can seat 4 MP carbots when open. We see Prime in many different poses too, all in colour.

So, what do you think? Is he as beautiful as you imagined? Do you think that alternate head he comes with looks like he is wearing a ninja scarf? Will you be preordering this guy asap? Let us know!

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Hopefully they'll just release Prime on his own. Otherwise my Meggy is gonna be all lonesome.

Probably wont happen. MP-10 never got a non-trailer version despite other uses of his mold (Black Convoy, Gold Lagoon, and Shattered Glass) not coming with one.

Emerje

Chiming in to say: SG Prime did come with one, a great black and purple trailer

[Nemesis Maximo]

Official colored pictures.

HOLY MOSES he looks amazing.

Look, as much as I don’t really like the price tag, but he looks leagues better than MP-10 IMO.

[william-james88]

I will be honest guys, even if money was not an issue, I am not that impressed. I think I even preffer MP10, simply because he has less panel lines. And I realize I am not that big a fan of that cartoon deco.

[Burn]

I will be honest guys, even if money was not an issue, I am not that impressed.

Same. This just doesn't seem that great.

[Ironhidensh]

So, with all the arguing back and forth, I thought I'd share my thoughts on why myself and so many others find this price to be ridiculous.

There has been an argument made that Takara is charging more because it costs them more, not just inflating for the sake of inflating. That just doesn't hold water for me.

See, MP 36 Megatron cost about $200. It is still, to date, the most complex MP Takara has made. Prime 44 is the same size, and you can clearly see from the pictures that he in no way is more complex than Megatron. Prime is a very comparable figure to Megatron, and should cost around the same. Yes, Prime comes with a trailer and a lot of accessories, but so did Megatron. Do you really think Prime's add ons are worth $250 extra? Hell no. Also, we have the 3rd Party market to compare too. Their production costs are greater than Takara's. Its why those figures cost so much. Many of them are the same level of quality as official product, if not better in many cases. Takara has skyrocketed the price in comparison. Not to mention other high end collectors lines in Japan form other companies, that do more with less.

Long story short, there is no realistic or market based reasoning for this massive price mark up, other than Takara simply wants to charge more. And that is fine. Its how a free market works, non of us are being forced to buy it. Just don't say that the price is justified in any other way, its not. This is a cash grab, same as Dinobot was. Dinobot is a far inferior figure compared to Megatron, and cost more. I thought I could live with it for the ability to have a premium Dinobot figure, but it just keeps eating at me. I'll be putting mine on eBay this week. With that, the already ridiculous price of BW Megatron, and now this ludicrous Prime price, I think I'm out of the official MP game, and that really sucks. I love MP figures, but I will not be taken advantage of like this.


The real kicker for me in all of this? I want this figure. It looks simply amazing, and I am one of the lucky ones here who can afford this price. But I can't justify it by any means. I have two little boys, and we have started trying to teach them the value of money. How can I do that with a straight face when I waste money on something like this? Answer: I can't.

Oh well, we move on.

[Hellscream9999]

So, with all the arguing back and forth, I thought I'd share my thoughts on why myself and so many others find this price to be ridiculous.

There has been an argument made that Takara is charging more because it costs them more, not just inflating for the sake of inflating. That just doesn't hold water for me.

See, MP 36 Megatron cost about $200. It is still, to date, the most complex MP Takara has made. Prime 44 is the same size, and you can clearly see from the pictures that he in no way is more complex than Megatron. Prime is a very comparable figure to Megatron, and should cost around the same. Yes, Prime comes with a trailer and a lot of accessories, but so did Megatron. Do you really think Prime's add ons are worth $250 extra? Hell no. Also, we have the 3rd Party market to compare too. Their production costs are greater than Takara's. Its why those figures cost so much. Many of them are the same level of quality as official product, if not better in many cases. Takara has skyrocketed the price in comparison. Not to mention other high end collectors lines in Japan form other companies, that do more with less.

Long story short, there is no realistic or market based reasoning for this massive price mark up, other than Takara simply wants to charge more. And that is fine. Its how a free market works, non of us are being forced to buy it. Just don't say that the price is justified in any other way, its not. This is a cash grab, same as Dinobot was. Dinobot is a far inferior figure compared to Megatron, and cost more. I thought I could live with it for the ability to have a premium Dinobot figure, but it just keeps eating at me. I'll be putting mine on eBay this week. With that, the already ridiculous price of BW Megatron, and now this ludicrous Prime price, I think I'm out of the official MP game, and that really sucks. I love MP figures, but I will not be taken advantage of like this.


The real kicker for me in all of this? I want this figure. It looks simply amazing, and I am one of the lucky ones here who can afford this price. But I can't justify it by any means. I have two little boys, and we have started trying to teach them the value of money. How can I do that with a straight face when I waste money on something like this? Answer: I can't.

Oh well, we move on.

I think whomever does the mp knockoffs is gonna have a field day with this release